JAGDISH BOMBAY DYEING STORE DICITEX JAIPUR FURNISHING … · BOMBAY DYEING Streamlining Purchase...

DICITEX FURNISHING

Championing Channel Partners

HGH INDIAA High Profile

Trade Fair

BOMBAY DYEINGStreamlining Purchase

and Perception

JAIPUR RUGSWeaving a fine tapestry in CSR

RR DECORThe Making of an Editeur

JAGDISH STOREA Leading Retailer of India

A publication by Home Textile Association of India

Special iSSueVol.2 Issue-2 July-August, 2018

For Free Distribution Only

Dear Friends,

The Home Textile Association of India (HTA) has come a long way since its inception three years ago. Keeping pace with a rapidly evolving and dynamic industry has its challenges, but HTA with its vast resource of experienced hands and well-wishers from industry has successfully endeavoured to be a catalyst and steer the industry in the right direction. In fact, this is the only organization of its kind wherein all the important constituents of the home textile value chain promote the industry as a whole. We are extremely proud of HTA.

We are extremely bullish of the domestic market for home textiles, and related products, given the fact that in FY 2018-19 as the Economic Survey 2018, conducted by Ministry of Finance, has predicted 7-7.5 per cent growth in FY 2018-19 from 6.75% last fiscal. As analysts have predicted, India will see a surge in affordable housing as it is strongly backed by the central government. Coupled with emerging employment opportunities, particularly in the services sector means there will be disposable incomes in the hands of young consumers. Home textiles will in all likelihood benefit from this trend.

The Association is pleased to announce the release of the second edition of its magazine HTA – Indoors at the upcoming HGH Exhibition in Mumbai in July 2018. Our endeavor is to make this magazine a platform for the Association members to share their views, comment on important policy matters, and also serve as conduit to bring together the value chain.

As always, we welcome your valuable comments, criticism and suggestions to improve HTA – Indoors as we move forward. We shall put our best foot forward, resolve issues and deal with grievances in the right manner. The highest level of excellence can be achieved only through diligence, a positive attitude, zeal and commitment. Our experts, distinguished members and team shall continue to strive towards a harmonious relationship with one and all.

Jai Bharat!

Jagdish Khandelwal

From the President’s Desk

Home Textile Association of India

3www.htai . in

Upcoming Textile FairsIntertextile, Shanghai August 27-30, 2018

Maison & Objet, Paris September 7-11, 2018

Moods, Brussels September 11-13, 2018

Heimtextil, Germany January 8-11, 2019

Deco Off, Paris January 17-21, 2019

Maison & Objet, Paris January 18-22, 2019

Evteks, Turkey April 23-27, 2019

HGH, Mumbai July 2-4, 2019

Join us on Facebook Find us: https://www.facebook.com Home-Textile-Association-of-India-468560769961879/

Reach us at:Home Textile Association of India X/21, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase – 2, New Delhi – 110020 (India) Phone : 011-41731107

Website: www.htai.in

News, Views, Advertisement & Subscription [email protected]

Editorial Rajnish Gupta: 9810594991 [email protected]

MarketingSabyasachi Dutta: 9811297121 [email protected]

Concept, Design & Execution

7 Square House, 3rd Floor Krishna Nagar, Opp. B4/148B Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi -110029 Ph.: +91 11 41043966 www.silenttpartners.com [email protected]

Edited, Printed, Published and Owned by Home Textile Association of India. Printed at National Print Pack, Naraina Industrial Area, New Delhi.

Copyright © 2017 Home Textile Association of India, All rights reserved throughout the world.

CAUTION, ADVICE, RESEARCH: Articles and advertisements in HTA Indoors are purely for information purpose and represent neither endorsement nor recommendation of such companies by the Publisher, Editor and their agents. Readers must always take relevant professional advice before entering into any contract with companies or persons described in the magazine’s articles and advertisements. The publisher and the editor cannot accept any responsibility for transactions between readers, advertisers and companies appearing in HTA Indoors.

While reasonable care is taken to insure the accuracy of information by HTA Indoors at the time of preparing for the press, no responsibility can be taken for any error that may have crept up inadvertently, or consequences of action based on any material contained herein. The views expressed in HTA Indoors do not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher or the Editor. We welcome unsolicited material for consideration; however, HTA Indoors accepts no responsibility for them.

Vol.1 Issue-2 July-August, 2018 ContentsIn focus

News 08

12

10

29

D’Decor’s stellar role in home furnishing industry

Weaving Magic with Fabrics R R Decor

Dctex furnishing your world

Warwick Fabrics

Feedback

Skipper Furnishing Retail Icons of Bengal

Role of Design in Textiles

Beekalene continues to lead

U-like

14

2022

2636

24

16

Glimpses of HTA events

38

5www.htai . in


Please join us for a Previewof our Autumn/Winter Collection

Venue

Date

MOGRAThe Westin HotelMumbai

July 3 - 5, 2018:

:

Available at premium furnishing retail storeswww.rrdecor.com

Jagdish Store

Jagdish Store, a home furnishing retail brand founded by Jagdish Khandelwal in 1965, has over the years, expanded to run a chain of outlets in Delhi, Kolkata and Ludhiana.

Quick to decipher individual preferences and match these to offer highly customized concepts in home décor, the brand incorporates and is inspired by the most recent trends in designs, colours, textures and patterns from across the world.

Jagdish Store’s clientele comprises of a slew of well-known architects, hoteliers and interior designers to discerning home makers. Their large format stores display a vast array of upholstery fabrics, curtains, carpets, mattresses, bed linen, table linen, bath linen and more.

Inspired by geometric prints, fashion colour schemes and extravagant designs, they also stock and display some of the finest international labels present in India.

Ahead of the curveDifferentiated by design, Jagdish Stores has emerged as a trend-setter in home décor market


7www.htai . in6 July - August, 2018

PROFILE

Championingchannel partners

“Own stores may be good for branding. But, honestly, we don’t want to slip into the business of our retail partners,” says Nimish Arora, Founder, Dicitex Furnishings

If first-generation entrepreneur Nimish Arora speaks in a clipped, American accent with a lot of bluster, it’s not without reason.

He has, after all, built Dicitex Home Furnishings Pvt. Ltd., into a multi-million business in fabricated textile products from scratch in 2000 --- to the Rs 500 crore (in turnover), practically debt-free, vertically-integrated business it is today, exporting to 65 countries, across the world.

Following the Alibaba format (b2b) to profitability, Hrithik Roshan-endorsed Dicitex boasts of 600 retail partners, displaying 7000 SKUs in Rs 75 crore worth of inventory at their stores.

Where is the need to roll out their own brand stores?

“With so much choice offered to the customers, we make so much daily sales from our retailers, we don’t want to take their business,” he explain in a humour-laced voice.

In any case, presently Arora is hugely focussed on building capacity for the domestic market in home furnishing products that’s growing at a healthy pace of 10% to 15% per annum, against the saturated overseas market with an off take of 3% to 4% year-on-year (YoY).

Although present in the Indian market since 2003, the big break for the company came in 2014, when they entered the cut service business of cataloguing.

“This book format is suiting us at the moment. It keeps overheads in check and it doesn’t create a conflict of interest with our channel partners,” says Arora.

Cautious over going the other way i.e. opening of Retail store, Arora feels that when you get into competition with your own retailers, they begin to boycott you. Arora picked and refined his strategy for the home textile business during a chance rub with astute furnishing manufacturers in Italy, the same he now supplies fabrics to.

Harvard University educated Arora soon returned to India to establish Dicitex, initially with a modest capital investment of Rs 2 crore. Brother Rajjnish Aroraa joined forces as technical production head, and together, with clever incremental investments in backward integration; accessing world-class design forecasting help; and creation of new IPRs in artificial silk, digital bed sheets and more, the duo have managed

to build a Rs 500 crore monolith, with an employee count of 3500 people.

In the export market Dicitex competes with home textile dealers from China, Pakistan and Turkey. At home, Dicitex retails its products through Pride, Bharat Furnishings, Drape Shoppe, Novelty, Dreams Furnishing, @home, and Jagdish Cloth Stores and Floor & Furnishings. The brand is also present on online portals like Amazon, Pepperfry, Urban Ladder etc.

“In the US, European and Middle East markets, we do our own distribution, but in India, our channel partners are happy to lend us premium space,” says Arora.

The only exception is Dicitex’s stand-alone lifestyle concept store, Tresorie that has four outlets in Mumbai and is doing brisk business. Arora plans to take Tresorie to four more metropolitan cities by the end of this year.

Asked what is Dicitex’s arrangement with channel partners, Arora explains, “We suggest a Recommended Retail Price (RRP), which, as we all know is not

the same as the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). Smaller stores follow our RRP list, but beyond that we don’t interfere much in what margin stores want to seek from our products. It could be 100% or even 140% over our factory price.”

Asked if inconsistent pricing doesn’t dilute the brand’s image with a carefully-cultivated loyal customer, he says, “Look, we have to be flexible. We understand that Home Furnishings is not shirtings. We are not selling just fabric for upholstery and curtains, we are also selling a customer’s perception of design, colour and value. If a store is able to uphold that perception, through price, we cannot question it.”

Happy with how the industry lobbied to have the Goods and Service Tax (GST) slashed from the proposed 12% to the present 5%, Arora however is quick to point out that it’s a niche industry.

“After all, how many times in a year can you expect a customer to change his upholstery?”

“We have to protect it,” he asserts.

“With so much choice to

the customers, we make so

much sales on a daily basis

that we don’t want to cut

them (retailers) out from

our business.”

“We understand

that Home

Furnishings is not

shirtings.

We are not selling

just fabric for

upholstery and

curtains. We

are also selling

a customer’s

perception of

design, colour and

value”.

Dicitex Furnishings


8 9July - August, 2018 www.htai . in

PROFILE

A veteran in the industry, Aloke Banerjee, the chief executive officer for retail at Bombay Dyeing has had his job well cut out before him. After he joined the Wadia Group’s flagship entity last year, he had been focusing on product and design innovation, channels proliferation and technology infusion in order to maintain the pre-eminent position of Bombay Dyeing in the bed sheet category.

In the past ten months, what changes have you managed to effect at the company?

I have been able to streamline purchase procedures, and after a long time we aired

a TVC, ‘Make your own bed sheet’ campaign which would help us to own digital bed

sheet platform, which is a hot, new trend in the market.

What changes have you observed in the home textile market in India, in recent years?

Major changes and challenges include swinging commodity prices, rising production

costs, inflow of cheaper alternatives from unorganised sector and neighboring

countries, margin pressures and proliferation of private labels.

In bed sheets, Bombay Dyeing enjoys a dominant position. What’s your strategy in maintaining this leadership position, given the intensifying competition from unorganized players?

Yes, we are still market leaders in bed sheets categories. We have maintained our

dominance by churning out more than 2000 designs in Bed sheets every year and by

continuous improvement in quality parameters. We would continue to focus on design

and quality in future as well since these are critical parameters for success in category.

The Indian home furnishing market is still largely unorganised. Does it pose a threat to your margin growth?

Unorganised sector has always been a threat. However with government initiatives

like digitisation of the economy and new GST policy, branded players are set to gain

market share.

Most home furnishing brands follow the catalogue route and don’t do their own distribution. Bombay Dyeing has always had its own retail presence. Which is a better strategy?

Both models have their own advantages and disadvantages. Bombay

Dyeing apart from selling through their retail stores also sells through

e-commerce websites which is online catalogue route. Presently, the

brand is distributed from around 230 single brand outlets and around

4500 multi brand stores. We recently achieved leadership position in

major e-commerce websites, as well.

Going forward, what are Bombay Dyeing’s plans?

We will continue to invest in product and design innovations, channels

proliferation and technology. Focus will also be on digital printing and

providing unique shopping experience to our customers. We would

soon be launching a new Franchisee model and explore high volume

government institutional business.

“Major changes and challenges include swinging

commodity prices, rising production costs, inflow of cheaper alternatives from un-organised sector and neighboring countries, margin pressures and proliferation of private

labels,”

-Aloke Banerjee, CEO (Retail) Bombay Dyeing

Make Your Own Bed sheet

Bombay Dyeing is working on bed sheets on which customers can print

digital prints like a home printer, Banerjee said. Customers can submit their photos at Bombay Dyeing stores or upload it on the company website

and Voila! For as little as Rs 1,999, the unique, customized, digital print bed

sheet will get printed and delivered to your doorstep in just 30 days.

Streamliningpurchase and perception

Bombay Dyeing

You joined Bombay Dyeing last year from National Textile Corporation. Is there any difference in the work culture between a private and a public sector company?

Public limited companies are extremely process oriented and have strong systems, checks and balances. However, decision making takes time. In private limited companies decision making is much faster as there are lesser layers.

How are you meeting these challenges?

Private sector work environment tends to be fast-paced so it is important to adjust to this charged pace. The main objective is to be focused around financial performance and productivity.



PROFILE

Kamlesh Agarwal, Chairman

“We face maximum competition from unorganised, local players.”Zione Mattress and Voyage- Bedding Beyond Luxury are two of the newest sub brands to roll out of the Skipper stable

to help customers have homes of their dreams.

With Brand Skipper Home Fashion we aim to reach to over 1000 MBOs and LFSs to make our products easily available.

What are your marketing and promotion plans?

We have been actively available on social media and press. We feel that social media, if used properly is one of the best medium of marketing. We have assigned big budgets and have a dedicated team on board for social media marketing. Promoting well designed and decorated homes by means of short videos is one of our immediate plans of action.

In the coming few months we plan to go live with the broadcast television media too since TV is the most popular media across the country.

We have been using direct as well as indirect channels for all ATL & BTL

activities. We also plan to align our sale periods with festivities and BTL activities in the future. Realising the importance of B2B marketing, we plan to go full-steam ahead with various business events, networking and corporate/business media.

Any other information that will help our readers understand your brand better?

Home furnishing has been one of the most unorganised segments in the retail industry. There are a very few organized players in this industry, who can actually give us direct competition as a brand. However the local unorganised players are the ones who compete with us in every city our store is present in.

Having hands-down experience and knowledge of customer’s requirement and developing all our merchandise based on this is our biggest strength. We believe that we have one of the finest team of editors who design and pick

How many retail outlets are you present in?

Three fifty plus outlets, including

EBOs, MBOs, online ecommerce and

large format stores.

Which cities are your brands/products available in?

New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Amritsar,

Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur,

Gwalior, Raipur, Muradabad, Jaipur,

Indore, Jalandhar, Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Vizag, Mysore, Kolkata, Siliguri, Durgapur, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Asansol, Patna, Vishakhapatnam, Howrah, Faridabad and Bhopal.

What is your company’s strategy for growth in the coming five years?

Our aim is to make homes in India beautiful at affordable pricing. In India,

home decoration till now was considered a luxury but we are focused on making it an ‘affordable luxury’. We also aim to help them understand the need of having a home décor that suits one’s personality, because home is a place where a person should feel relaxed after a long day’s work.

We are targeting to open more stores in tier 2 and tier 3 cities where the products of our design strength are not easily available. As pioneers in home furnishings we feel it’s our responsibility

Skipper Furnishings



ADVERTORIAL

Skipper Furnishings

up the best products to service a huge variety of customers.

Our next plan is to have multiple stores in order to have bigger volumes and offer better prices to our customers, by achieving economy of sales, which the unorganised, single-store, players cannot achieve.

All our systems are linked through an integrated ERP which ensures that customers do not get hoodwinked by undue discounting, price hikes, and fabric mismatches. Our customers are more confident in purchasing through a brand as then the service and quality of the product is guaranteed.

We regularly launch new collections, look books for informing our customers about the latest trends in the markets.

We make sure that each of our sales people are consultants and not just sales people. They are regularly trained to understand customer requirements, and suggest products, making it easier for a customer to choose from a basket of options. Since Home décor is still a virgin market in India, the customers are often not aware of the kind of look they want for their homes. We train our sales people to guide them through the entire process and help them pick up the exact product that matches their personalities.

We have been coping with competition since the past 30 years with sub-brands of each product category which could be spread across the country in a broad retail chain. Zione Mattress and Voyage-Bedding Beyond Luxury are two of our newest babies, which can be accessed at Skipper exclusive stores.

Date of Incorporation: Since 1964

Office Address16F, East Topsia Road, Kolkata-700046

Growth: 25% aggregate growth in the past five years.

Product categoriesHome and office soft furnishings.

Top five brandsSkipper Home Fashion, Fabric Engine, The Home Studio, Zione Mattress, and Palette.

Brand/ Products USPs• Integrated ERP and supply chain

system• Fifty years of experience in the

industry with pan-India presence• Customisation and tailor-made

basket of products offered under the same roof

• Economies of scale, focussed on customer satisfaction

• Experiential knowledge and understanding of every product line

• Deep research and understanding of the market.

• Widest range and variety offered under one, common roof.

• Sales persons trained to become sales consultants who help assist the customers to meet their exact needs and inform them about market trends.

• The products are procured and delivered keeping in mind the following:- Global standards - Quality products and true to

worth of price- Widest range of options- Customisation- An in-house design team

working closely with our sales staff to understand the unique needs and requirement of our customers.

Top-selling productsCurtain and blind fabrics, cushion covers, wallpapers, mats and bed linen.

14 July - August, 2018

ADVERTORIAL

HGH India, a high profile annual show for the home

textiles, home décor, houseware and gifts has completed six successful

editions, the last in Mumbai that ran for three days July 4 to 6, last year. Arun Roongta,

Managing Director, HGH India shares his thoughts on

the Indian retail scenario“Retail infrastructure has

leapt ahead of manufacturing in India. I see this as a long-

term, stable trend. As the economy continues to grow

at seven per cent per annum, manufacturing is likely to lag behind retail in India.” Arun

Roongta, Managing Director, HGH India

The objective of HGH India is to provide an efficient and inspiring platform to suppliers and buyers of home products

fair offers quick and effective access to a rapidly emerging Indian home products market. Exhibitors get an instant market connection at the national level. All this is reflected in the number of exhibitors that has steadily increased with every edition of HGH India, almost by 350% YoY. Some 80% exhibitors and 90% visitors return to HGH India each year reflecting its importance for both buyers and sellers.

What are the key learnings that you picked from the past three editions?

For starters, we’ve learnt that design is becoming increasingly important to the Indian consumer. Consumer preference has begun to skew towards

branded products. Tag lines, logos and presentation now play a key role as optical triggers.

Consumers, as well as retailers have begun to a more holistic view of home and interior decoration. Designs, materials, colours match across several product categories, which has always led to a higher diversity of product presentations at HGH India. Style concepts in home fashion are spread from home textiles to storing products and bath accessories. Further we have seen an uptake in quality. Access to branded products has also increased. Many exhibitors tell us that they are happy to serve customers from smaller cities at HGH India, whom they could not reach efficiently before.

Please outline the scale and scope of the 2018 Edition of HGH

We expect visitors from over 475 cities and towns, across India. Additionally, we will have a display of 550 brands and manufacturers from some 30-odd countries. For the first time, HGH India will be spread over three different pavilions, organized by product categories. Hall 1 will have home textiles and gifts, Hall 2 - home décor and Hall 3 – houseware section. Over 80 new

exhibitors are participating this year. About 35% of the products exhibited will be of international brands. Altogether, 185 brands from 29 countries, other than India will be on display. Over 315 Indian brands and manufacturers will also showcase their latest range. We expect a record increase over last year’s 30,700 visitors.

What role do you foresee HGH India playing in the coming five years?

The objective of HGH India is to provide an efficient and inspiring platform for business encounters to happen between home product suppliers and buyers from retail and institutions. We work heavily to make HGH India useful for both sides.

What role has HGH India played in integrating the value chain?

HGH India brings together national and international producers and brands to comprehensively offer home products for retail, across India. For the 2017 edition of HGH, we attracted traders from 462 cities and towns. The trade

“In lifestyle products, consumer preference has begun to skew towards the

branded line. Tag lines, logos and presentation now play a key role as optical triggers.”

Arun Roongta, Managing Director, HGH India

Finally, the handloom sector growth is very important for a country like India. What role do you foresee for HGH in integrating this sector into the mainstream?

Handloom has a critical role to play – not just in providing employment to millions at the grassroots, but also in safeguarding and developing Indian craftsmanship and a centuries old design tradition. Handloom also has deep cultural and economic roots. HGH India can be a great avenue for marketing and sales of handloom products and for design inspiration based on traditional craftsmanship for a grounded look and feel at our homes.

Home textiles, home décor, houseware and gifts are now high-performance categories. What do you attribute their rise in popularity to?

I would attribute it to a shift in our spending habits from basics to more sophisticated lifestyle choices. Consumers are upgrading to a better lifestyle. By 2025, India is forecasted to become the fifth largest consumer market in the world! Already, the country is experiencing a 12 per cent year on year (YoY) growth in consumer expenditure as against a global increase of only five per cent. A decade ago, a middle class Indian’s focus was only on roti (food), kapda (clothes) and makaan (house) rather than on branded lifestyle products.

Arun RoongtaManaging Director



Spot LIGHt

Shop 24 x 7 @ maspar.com

global lifestyle brand

fast emerging as a

maspar is a leading brand in home furnishing. Incepted in 2001, maspar's meteoric rise to success in a short span of time has surprised all. But for Rajesh Mahajan, Managing Director of maspar, the growth is well in line with his expectations from the brand.

Ours is not a run-of-the-mill product company. It's a

carefully-carved out brand that is exclusive to the discerning

buyers. At Maspar, we are passionate about quality. From fabric to

pattern to weaving to stitching, everything manifests our passion.

It reflects in our product line too.

maspar is a brand from the stable of Mahajan Overseas

Pvt. Ltd. which has an enviable track record of more than

5 decades. Started primarily as a Linen Company, maspar

included accessories, home wear & décor categories too, to

its portfolio. And in course of time, it evolved more as a

lifestyle brand than mere ‘Home Furnishing.’

Today, maspar has a dedicated R&D facility besides state-of-

the-art manufacturing plants. These futuristic plants have

integrated facilities that bring all solutions under one roof-

from specialty yarns processing, weaving to value addition

for surface treatments, cutting, sewing and so on. Producing

a huge range of Bed Linen, Bath Linen, Kitchen Linen, Table

Linen with impeccable finish & perfection.

Little maspar is aimed at the needs of children in the age group of 0-10 years. It comprises of coordinated items with un-licensed non-cartoony characters. presents InHousea wide range of offerings from floral to abstract, from geometrical to ethnic, for larger audience, whereas Rurban brings along contemporary style in earthy colors, blend of textures in woven/prints with touch of surface treatments and sophisticated look for matured audience.

Integrated and sound infrastructure

As the maspar brand has expanded beyond shores, its family

has expanded accordingly. Today, maspar product line

comprises of a sub-brands like Vintage, Cotsmere, ColorArt.

Signature, Little maspar, Rurban and InHouse.

The brand maspar’s designs usually manifest international

trends with contemporary & vibrant textures. on Vintage,

the other hand, is a fusion of classical & contemporary era,

having antique motifs and blissful pastel colors. Cool as

cotton & soft as cashmere, brings along a Cotsmere

harmonious co-existence of modern & contemporary

home style. While has solid colorful palette, Colorart

specifically developed in solid colors to match with

coordinated bed & bath sets. The Label has Signature

sophisticated line with its own personality and aura that

makes it individualistic & personalized.

Today, maspar has a Pan-India presence and leads the market in the category. Its global footprints are increasing fast and now it has spread its wings to many countries. maspar’s growth has been phenomenal but instead of sitting on its laurels, maspar is relentlessly toiling to conquer new summits. It has been expanding its dealers network rapidly, regularly participating in all top offline exhibitions besides thrust on focused marketing. But what makes maspar a winner, in the words of Mr. Rajesh Mahajan is - “our non-compromising attitude, superlative products and unwavering commitment to live up to the trust of the consumers.”

Extended portfolio to spoil you with choices

Poised for a leap

- Mr. Rajesh Mahajan, Managing Director, maspar



ADVERTORIAL

professions, and that’s a tad sad – bleeding talent from the industry. The Indian government needs to seriously look into their issues. Handloom silks are by far the most beautiful fabrics one can think of. The texture, the feel and touch, the natural look, the depth in the colours is so amazing, nothing can even close to it. Anyone who has ever worked with handlooms, begins to understand colours, nay textiles better.

How is your journey in handlooms been so far?

Amazing, as I said. And I continue to evolve with it, both as a designer, and as

a businessman. In today’s time, we need to be flexible. With India going digital, we have to move away from commodity selling to value-selling.

What’s been the brightest spot in your journey, so far?

I would say, my debut into handloom fabrics. This has been the best thing that has happened to a non textile person like yours truly. Working with the handloom sector completes your education and teaches you everything you want to know about textiles.

Please describe your own dream house?

I am a person who loves rains and the hills. My dream house would be a wooden structure, somewhere in the hills made of stone, wood and glass, overlooking the majestic Himalayan range, of course.

What specific Indian palette do you work with?

We do have a standard colour palette for India, mostly comprising of beiges and the second palette are our Indian sari colours, which are fuchsias, gold, oranges, lime green etc. Mostly we improvise with colour blends, and follow international colour trends, as we sell our collections all over the world.

Handlooms are an expensive indulgence, compared to mill-made fabrics. How do you balance price with quality?

This is a very interesting question. There is a particular customer base, which may have used handloom fabrics all their life. We don’t really need to lure them into buying our products. They are already sold out. But the new generation is a big challenge. They do not understand the beauty of the handloom products, anymore, either due to a lack of bonding, or a lack of understanding.

“Indian handlooms is what I am and what has

made me”, Rohit Khemka, owner, R R Décor, a leading

dealer in furnishing and upholstery fabrics for

residential and contract interiors, It is also

distributing ALHAMBRA, a leading European

furnishing brand owned by Mr Juan Carlos, one of

the earlier Editeurs from Europe.

back to Delhi, and got my first break with Seasons Furnishings. The brand had just opened a store in Lajpat Nagar. From that point on, there was no looking back.

Tell us about your interest in design?

I have always been interested in art and painting from early on. When I started with textiles, specifically, Bhagalpur silks in 1994, there was a creative side to me that was waiting to express and I established R R Silks in 1994, that was later rechristened as RR Décor Pvt. Ltd. We would be completing 25 years in this business in 2019.

You appear to be having a very deep and emotional understanding of Indian handlooms. However during one media interaction, you have gone on record predicting that the future of handlooms is very bleak in India – may we know why?

I am rooted in Indian handlooms. It is what I am, and what has made me. I started with Bhagalpur silks and have worked very closely with the weavers, the true artisans. About 80 per cent of my weavers have stayed with me since 1994. Others have moved into other

EditeurThe making of an

“Handloom silks are by far the most beautiful fabrics

one can think of. The texture, the feel and touch, the

natural look, the depth in the colours is so amazing,

nothing can even close to it. Anyone who has ever worked

with handlooms, begins to understand colours, nay

textiles better”

“With India going digital, we have to move away

from commodity selling to value-selling,”

“The new generation is a big challenge. They do not understand the beauty of the handloom products, anymore, either due to a

lack of bonding, or a lack of understanding,”

R R Decor

From supplying milk powder to Bakemans, how did you get into home décor?

Well, my journey started in 1994, when, after completing my education from St. Xaviers College Kolkata, I moved to Delhi. I picked up a few samples from Bhagalpur, my native place and came



one-on-one

Branded Market is Set to Get Bigger

Incorporated 139 years ago, Bombay Dyeing has stood the test of time, scaled new frontiers and is constantly re-inventing itself to match changing customer needs.

After a very long time, Bombay Dyeing came out with a TVC campaign to promote their digital printed bed sheets, currently a big rage in India. It was also the first time; they launched their innovative ‘Make your own bed sheet’ campaign.

Investing in product and design innovations, channels proliferation and exploring new technology applications appear to be their priority areas, going forward. Nusli Wadia-owned company is also set to announce a new franchisee model, and explore high volume government institutional business, this financial year.

Bombay Dyeing

Asked what are some of the major challenges facing the industry and how is the company leveraging these bottlenecks for consistent growth, Aloke Banerjee, CEO (Retail) Bombay Dyeing explained that the “major challenge continues to be the swinging commodity prices. Other challenges are rising production costs from increasing wages, power and interest cost, and constant inflow of cheaper alternatives from unorganized sector, as well as the neighbouring countries.”

As a result even existing players have also become more aggressive and are

entering into price wars with new brands and competitors.

“Higher margin demand from channel partners is also putting pressure on the margins.” He adds.

Further the popularity of alternate distribution channels, such as e-commerce, large life style and cash and carry stores, and their investing in their own private labels as alternatives to branded home textiles has also intensified competition among the existing brands.

“Proliferation of private labels may have direct impact on volumes and make the cost of merchandising expensive,” according to Banerjee.

On the upside, the Indian government announced a slew of export promotion policies for the textiles sector this year. It has allowed 100 per cent FDI in the Indian textiles sector under the automatic route. In May 2018, textiles sector recorded investments worth Rs 27,000 crore (US$ 4.19 billion) since June 2017.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has also approved a new skill development scheme ‘Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)’ with an outlay of Rs 1,300 core (US$ 202.9 million) from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

The Union Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, along with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), has launched a technology up gradation scheme called SAATHI (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of Efficient Textile Technologies to Help Small Industries) for reviving the power loom sector of India.

The Textile Ministry of India has earmarked Rs 690 crore (US$ 106.58 million) for setting up 21 readymade garment manufacturing units, across India. The Directorate General of Foreign

Trade (DGFT) has revised incentives under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for readymade garments and made ups from two to four per cent.

The Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (A-TUFS), launch of India Handloom Brand and integrated scheme for development of silk industry, for the strategic enhancement of Indian textiles quality to international standards. All these measures are set to benefit the

Indian textile sector, including the home textile market, according to Banerjee.

With all this and more happening in the market, small wonder that Bombay Dyeing did Rs 600 crore in sales, last year. This year, the target is set even higher - above 40% to cross Rs 700 crore.

“The domestic market is flourishing. This allows producers to mitigate risks and be competitive in the market,” he says.

Undoubtedly, the availability of abundant raw material (world’s largest producer of cotton and jute; and second largest producer of silk, and man-made fiber) enables our textile manufacturers to control costs, and reduce lead time. From procurement of raw materials to final production, the Indian home textile industry is very self-reliant. This gives us the opportunity for backward integration, which many other countries do not have.



ADVERTORIAL

“For us, both exports & domestic market have grown, equally well”

leveraging these bottlenecks for growth?

Major challenges for domestic would be chinese imports. These adversely effect us. We however focus on creativity. which then ensures our products form their own niche. There are infrastructure challenges also like water and power shortage, also which has to be dealt with.

Q. What are the bright spots in the current domestic market?

The booming indian furniture market is a bright spot due to which there are dealers and outlets only concentrating on the furniture fabrics. These are then

Karan Sehgal, Director

sold in high volume unlike the past where cheap Chinese furniture used to be imported with cheap Chinese material.

Q. How has your company grown in the last three financial years (in value and volume)?

In the last three years we have grown 15%-18% compounded year on year in value and volume.

Q. What are some of the core strengths of the Indian home textile sector and how are you leveraging those in the domestic and export markets?

Creativity and innovation with reasonable prices is the core strength. Adapting to new technology and then using it with

existing practices to make and deliver

something new is the Indian forte.

Q. Please update us on your activities relating to product development.

We have a new velvet production line

along with all kinds of value-added

products, such as lamination, digital

printing, bronzing, sueding, embossing,

pleating etc. This has enabled us to

create a number of varieties and we have

sold this very successfully, this past year.

Many different linen-blend fabrics too

have sold well due to the R and D of our

team from the yarn stage onwards.

Q. Which are some of the areas in the value chain that need to be strengthened?

Raw material supply has to keep up with demand. The retailers have to be further educated on many new products and how to sell them. The use of technology over all can really help the industry.

Q. Which are your five main products?

Plain linen blend qualities with and without value addition, high density jacquards, digital prints, velvets with value addition and highly perceived value for money jacquards.

Q. An overview of the Indian home textile industry - domestic and exports and how these two segments have grown over the years, viz.a.viz each other?

The indian domestic industry for us has grown in leaps and bounds due to constant product launches and the maturing of the market to accept these new global products. Exports has risen too, due to innovation and value-add that we give to our customers. Both have grown equally.

Q. What are some of the major challenges the industry is facing and how is your company

Beekalene



ADVERTORIAL

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E-mail : [email protected] | Website : www.asadeep.com

Eco Friendly Fabrics

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Earth Protected Fabric

Fire Resistant Fabrics

Moving up

The times are e-changing for the home textile industry in India, slowly and notably.

A bunch of Indian traders on a business visit to the US recently, stumped a blogger with, “Why doesn’t JC Penney have a Sephora spa collection of sheets and towels?”

Everyone knows that Sephora is a French cosmetics company and JC Penney, the US retailer is desperately looking for margin improvement with increased footfalls. One way of doing that would be

By Nanditha Vasudev

Indian companies have started gaining an edge

over their Chinese counterparts by leveraging

the gaps between easy availability of raw materials at home and the increasing

cost of labour in China

skin; a fiber that is naturally elastic and a 100% hypoallergenic bedding system with anti-wrinkle features, the Indian consumer is slowly getting there, and is hungry for more!.

Along with solar, magnetic and automated curtains, there are now self-disinfecting smart carpets to woo double-income Indian customers.

The evolving lifestyles of the Indian consumers and the stretch in their purchasing power have created a huge demand for upper-end soft, skin and

by mixed display of home, apparel and jewelry categories at big format stores.

But this trend of mixing home furnishing with beauty products is not just limited to retail. At the manufacturing level too, brands like Indian Drape, RR Décor, F & F, Maspar, Goldtex, Birla Century and Swayam, are taking long strides into profitability with the introduction of exciting new, innovation-led value-adding features into their product line, such as moisture soaking, providing thermal control in bed linen, a finish that has calming properties for sensitive

Innovation and multi-

channel distribution are

the hot buttons for growth

in the home textile

market in India

the value chain

environment-friendly home products, leading to a complete re-organization of the industry.

Young working couples are now on the active look-out for the best features, functional as well as aesthetic to come across as trendy to their peers and folks. Many large format retail stores, multi-brand outlets and ecommerce stores are well-poised to cater the growth of this market. Their range covers categories such as bedspreads, bath linen, curtains, furnishing fabrics, carpets, table covers, and other furnishings.

The Indian trade

At present, India is the one of the largest suppliers of home textile products, second only to China that has cornered a whopping 39% share of the market. However, increasingly a few progressive Indian companies have started gaining an edge over their Chinese counterparts by leveraging the gaps between the easy availability of raw materials in India and the increasing costs of labor in China. In addition, world-class manufacturing facilities, stringent quality control



OVERVIEW

procedures, and product innovations have made many Indian companies, such as Welspun, Trident, and Dicitex, to cite a few, cost-competitive, as well as quality-conscious in this space.

Demand-supply gap

Yet, despite the rise in demand, home furnishing consumption is growing only of 15% per annum, against the actual potential of 20% to 25% growth. This potential can only be realized with matching growth in retail infrastructure and the establishment of a robust supply chain, feel market observers.

“About 70% to 80% of the domestic home textile

market is still unorganized. Large players don’t have

a significant market share here. We are globally competitive but in the

domestic market we still face distribution channel

issues,”

- Rajinder Gupta, Chairman, Trident Group.

“Branded products in India comprise just 2% of the

market. But since the New Age Indian consumer is

now aspiring high quality, branded products across categories, good brands

will become very popular in the coming years,”

- Vijay Agarwal, Chairman, Creative Portico.

While Bombay Dyeing still commands volumes in cotton bed linen, its dominance is gradually being challenged by others like Portico, Kurlon, Spaces, Trident, Swayam, Tangerine, and Maspar.

However, the home textile market In India is still far from organized and still cluttered by a number of non-branded bed linen makers, spread across the country.

About 70% to 80% of the domestic home textile market is still unorganized,” Rajinder Gupta, the Chairman of Trident Group told media persons recently. Large players don’t have a significant market share. We are globally competitive but in the domestic market we still face distribution channel issues.”

The onslaught of online retailers especially in the bed linen market has only made the competition worse for small players. On the flip side however it’s preparing them for the next level of intensive marketing.

“Branded products in India comprise just 2% of the market. But since the New Age Indian consumer is now aspiring high quality, branded products across categories, good brands will become very popular in the coming years,” Vijay Agarwal, Chairman, Creative Portico.

Creative Portico is currently growing at the rate of 30% to 40% per annum. Reports are rife that the brand is on its way to launch an e-commerce option to gain maximum traction. They are also working on expanding their portfolio in bed linen to stay relevant in the competitive market.

Spaces is another brand that is taking the innovation route to growth. Apart from bed linen, they are also into towels,

Source: UN Comtrade

Bed Linen – growing from a small base

Bed linens, especially cotton ones, are currently among the hottest traded

category in export market. The biggest consumer for Indian bed linen is the US. Next come Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and Spain, in that order.



OVERVIEW

“The perception and outlook of the home

textile industry needs to dramatically change. It’s

still not open to innovation and experiment. Indian

designers have a lot of potential to market

themselves globally. But a lot of effort needs to be made towards marketing

and promotion,”

- Navin Kanodia, MD and Interior Stylist, SPACIO.

“The perception and outlook of the home textile industry needs to dramatically change,” said Navin Kanodia, the MD & Interior Stylist of SPACIO, a New Age Indian brand that markets its bed linen, towels, comforters, rugs, throw mats and area rugs to the UK, the US, Germany and Australia. “It’s still not open to innovation and experiment. Indian designers have a lot of potential to market themselves globally. But a lot of effort needs to be made towards marketing and promotion.”

However it’s not just the brands that people look for, while buying furnishing fabrics for their homes. They also want products that go well with their interiors. For that perfect look, price is not

necessarily a deterrent. Over flooding the market with Me-too, knock-offs is not an option as that too dents retail margins.

Way to go forward

There will always be a market for home textiles as long as there are people living in homes. Despite competition, there is plenty of opportunity for Indian brands to fill in the demand-supply gaps, both in India and abroad. Understanding consumer expectations, analysing competition, and adapting to the changing needs of the market, as quickly as possible, are a few things the players will have to focus on, if they want to stay salient in the home textile market for long.

“Marketing and branding activities in proper channels is important for the survival

and success of the home textile companies in the

domestic market,”

- Dipali Goenka, Managing Director,

Welspun Global Brands Ltd.

comforters, rugs, throw mats and

area rugs. They have declared plans

of launching a new range of mattress

protectors and pillow fillers.

“Marketing and branding activities in

proper channels is important for the

survival and success of the home textile

companies in the domestic market,”

said Dipali Goenka, Managing Director of

Welspun Global Brands Ltd., in a recent

magazine interview

Handmade carpets and rugs still to make a mark, domestically

Carpet weaving by hand is what India has

always been known for, from ages now.

But with the economic conditions weak

in most Western countries the demand

for Indian handmade carpets abroad

has begun to plummet. This has led

exporters to push up their sales in the

domestic market to stay viable.

However the biggest impediment in their path is price. As an average Indian shies away from premium branded products, unless he/she perceives a decided value-add in these products, e.g. features like wash-friendly, odour-free, long-lasting, colour fast etc.

“The demand for handmade carpets from India are battling it out with the machine-produced carpets from other developed countries,” said Aditya Wattal of Chinar International.

As against machine-made carpets hand-knotted carpets woven from natural fibers, such as wood and silk are skin and environment-friendly. Suitable for day to day usage, they are also easier to wash and score high in terms of comfort and performance.

Variety sells furnishing fabrics

Innovation is the name of the game for Indian brands facing the heat from their Western counterparts.



OVERVIEW

Romi BhatiaChairman

“We are very strong in bathroom accessories”

How many retail outlets are you present in?

Nearly 350.


Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur and more.

Kunal Enterprises

Date of incorporation28 February, 1982

Office address 19, Bhaskar Lane, Bhuleshwar, Mumbai - 400002

Product categoriesBathroom accessories, outdoor mats, anti-skid shower mats and table mats.

The brand under which the products are sellingShresmo

Brand / Product USPsModern designs with products and accessories of unparalleled quality for every home.

Top-selling productsBathroom accessories.

Kunal Enterprises

36 July - August, 2018

ADVERTORIAL



ADVERTORIAL

Weavinga fine tapestry in CSR

Established by Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC) in 1978 with just two

looms, Jaipur Rugs is today, one of the country’s largest manufacturers

of hand-knotted rugs, with operations spanning across 20+ branches in

six states and 600 Indian villages. Working

independently with over 40,000 artisans, the company

distributes to over 45 countries

can interact with a global client base and become role models for members of their community. Our annual spend for these programs have increased over the years, with the 2017-2018 fiscal year spend at a little over Rs 36,100,000.

Q. A Harvard University study attributes your company’s remarkable business success to a “robust supply chain” – what would you attribute this robustness to?

We’ve spent a lot of time and effort training everyone consistently, all the way from artisans to upper management. I believe in a school of thought called Unlearning, where white collar professionals are asked to set aside their formal education for a moment to learn the ins and outs of our rural supply chain, and more importantly, the communities which are involved. Similarly, artisans are trained on business principles

of time management, resource allocation, streamlining processes, and ownership. This has enabled both our artisan network and staff at head and regional offices to always remain on the same page. There’s been a pretty flat chain-of-command so that decisions are made at individual levels and company level, simultaneously. This set-up consists of daily communication between management, head office staff, regional branch managers, local quality supervisors, village quality leaders

(Bunkar Sakhis), and individual artisans. The breakthrough in this came in the early 90s with the use of walkie-talkies between staff and artisan leaders. Those walkie-talkies have now been replaced by smart phones.

Q. What is the sphere and geographical range of your activities?

Jaipur Rugs covers 600 villages across the five states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar. Over 30,000 artisans are women.

Q. How did you zero in on women workers?

Carpet weaving has always been a job delegated to men But I observed that male artisans were more interested in politics and less focused on work. I decided to shift the business to a women-centric model. I found that women were open to learning new skills and also had

Q. Unlike other companies’ dependant on manual labour, Jaipur Rugs has a sterling record in CSR, especially to do with women weavers. Tell us more about your programmes with the women weaver community.

We have an artisan base of 40,000 where more than 70% are made up of women. Our mission has always been to bring in artisans fully into the value chain, so whatever issues stand in the way of doing that, we try to tackle those head on. All of our artisans go through rigorous skills training for hand-knotting as well as the many finishing processes in the making of handmade rugs. Our training has evolved over the years to be not just skill-based but also knowledge-based. We provide industry education so artisans know what they’re making, who they’re making it for, and where their hard work ends up. By establishing

We provide industry

education so artisans know

what they’re making, who

they’re making it for,

and where their hard work

ends up.

Jaipur Rugs Foundation, we’re able to also provide plenty of support and development to them in other areas as well, such as providing seasonal health camps, financial literacy education, leadership development, and social scheme inclusion relating to Aadhar and Recognition of Prior Learning. Nearly all our artisan base has benefitted from these programmes.

Q. When was your Foundation established? What is your annual spend on its activities?

We established it in 2004. The inspiration was simple enough -- in order to bring the artisans closer to the consumer, which has always been my main goal, their day-to-day lives would have to be improved in a myriad of ways. Education, healthcare, social and entrepreneurial development were chosen to turn weavers not just into skilled artisans, but successful business people who

N. K. ChaudharyChairman

Jaipur Rugs



One-On-One

enough free time to do so. Thus the idea of “Doorstep Entrepreneurship” took flight. Because the looms would be set up directly in the homes of the artisans or their neighbours and all materials were delivered to their doorstep, the social pressures of staying indoors also got addressed.

Q. You have your base in both the states. Which state treats its women better – Rajasthan or Gujarat?

It’s not a hidden fact that across India, women are often treated differently. Rajasthan and Gujarat are both guilty of this kind of maltreatment but we take a soft approach to shaping their attitudes

have a rug collection made entirely from recycled saris and our Artisan Originals Initiative gives artisans a chance to show off their talents with one-of-a-kind rugs they design and craft using leftover yarn from our other collections.

Q. You had very humble beginnings. Would it be correct to say that this is what may have led to the transformation of Jaipur rugs into a social organisation?

When I first started out with the hand-knotted rug business, society including my own family shunned me for working with people who were seen as a “low-caste” or “untouchables”. Going from nine weavers and two looms, the company has now spread across northern India. Indeed, Jaipur Rugs was always a social organisation, but it’s not until development specialists, such as CK Prahalad gave a name to it, that our company received its due recognition in this space.

Our aim is to turn weavers

not just into skilled artisans,

but also into successful

business people who can

interact with a global client

base and become role

models for other members of

their community.

C K Prahalad’s The Fortune

at the bottom of the Pyramid

dubs Jaipur Rugs as a ‘social

business’. The Group’s

2017-2018 spend on various

CSR activities ran over Rs

36,100,000. The Group

believes in Unlearning,

where white collar senior

managers are asked to set

aside their formal education

to learn the ins and outs of

the business’s rural supply

chain, and the communities

that are involved in the

processes. Correspondingly,

artisans are trained on

business principles of time

management, resource

allocation, streamlining

processes, and ownership.

their trust and bring forth weaving as a viable rural work opportunity for women. Rajasthan and UP have a renowned history of hand-knotting fine carpets, however, Gujarat is catching up.

Q. You export to 40 countries – did compliance with the stricter labour laws there compel you towards introducing reforms in India?

That’s not entirely correct. We’ve always been an artisan-focused company and our structure of Doorstep Entrepreneurship and on-time fair wages haven’t changed since the company’s inception.

Q. Has sustainability become a fad in recent years or are companies really willing to go beyond economics to ensure progress for all stakeholders?

Sustainability started out as a fad, but it’s here to stay. We’ve done a lot to ensure that our products and processes focus on less wastage, responsible craftsmanship, and the sustainability of both raw materials and a dying craft. We

inside-out. With so many different tribes, each with its own leadership, dialect, and social rules, I had to spend years in the Gujarat Tribal Belt with the locals to earn



One-On-One

Have you got?

GOTSLast month’s GOTS India

Seminar organised by

Global Organic Textile

Standard (GOTS) saw active

participation from across

the industry

agencies, academicians, industry stalwarts, standards bodies, service providers, consultants and media representatives, and other stakeholders from the field of organic textiles and sustainability gathered to discuss efficiency through sustainability.

Four sessions of the seminar addressed the various aspects of efficiency in sustainable fashion, home textile and textile manufacturing. The sessions included buyers’ perspective, chemical compliance, social responsibility and futuristic certification systems.

The participating Indian companies presented case-studies on how investments in environmental and social compliances have led to increased savings, business efficiency and higher profitability.

GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing (including ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fibre, such as organic cotton and organic wool, and includes both environmental and social criteria. Key provisions

“Indian consumers as well as Indian brands are looking for ecological fashion products, but gaps remain for criteria and communication. GOTS has the potential to fill these gaps by providing uniform criteria for sustainable production and communication in all parts of the supply chain,” said Sumit Gupta, GOTS representative for India and Bangladesh.

A not-for-profit, self-financed agency, GOTS was developed by leading international standard setters - Organic Trade Association (U.S.), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) to define globally-recognised requirements that ensure the organic status of textiles, from field to finished product.

The Global Organic Textile

Standard (GOTS) is an

internationally-recognised

organic textile standard.

Since its introduction in 2006,

GOTS has demonstrated its

practical feasibility and is

supported by the growth in

consumption of organic fibres

and the demand for unified

processing criteria from the

industry and retail sectors,

including home textile

industry.

include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals, such as Azo dyes and Formaldehyde, and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices. In 2017 more than 1.74 million people were working in GOTS certified facilities.

Titled ‘Sustainability as Key to Business

Efficiency,’ the GOTS India Seminar

2018 held on Monday, 29th May 2018 at

Le Meridien Coimbatore, turned out

to be a resounding success. Over 180

international brands and retailers, textile

manufacturers, chemical suppliers,

testing laboratories, accreditation

It was noted by all present at the Coimbatore seminar that India has made remarkable progress in terms of processing of organic textiles in fashion and home textile industries. As per December 2017 data, out of the 5,024 facilities GOTS certified worldwide, the highest, more than 1,650 are in India. The Indian brand Soul Space, one of the first movers in this space, shared their vision of GOTS-certified clothing line for Indian consumers.



InsIght

“We want to be an end-to-end solution provider in

home décor”

At present, the domestic home textile in India is estimated at Rs 460 billion out of which only around Rs 10 billion is branded market. However, by all accounts, the branded market is set to get bigger. About 20 years ago, it was a common practice among Indian couples to have about a dozen-odd bed linen and two set of curtains, wash and use those alternatively, till they tore apart. A new set was ordered only around Diwali, or before a wedding in the family.

That was about 20 years ago. Today, thanks to the phenomenal growth of Indian retailing, emergence of organised

Dicitex Furnishings Pvt. Ltd.

Date of incorporation 3 May, 1999

Office Address B/301, ‘M’ Building, Palm Court Complex, Link Road, Malad (West) Mumbai 400064

Brand’s USPs Premium velvets, beautiful embroidered fabrics, digitally printed natural fabrics etc.

Top-selling products Curtains, upholstery, bed sheets, velvets, embroidered curtains, digitally-printed fabrics, readymade cushions, curtains and wall papers

Rajjnish AroraaVice Chairman

Marketing and promotion plans?

Extensive in-store branding in retail

store, visual merchandising (Window

Display) and editorials featured in

prominent trade magazines.

Any other information that you would like

to furnish which will add value to your

company’s profile

We would like our company to be and

end-to-end solution provider from start

to finish in home décor.

Dicitex Furnishings

retail, increase in purchasing power of an average Indian urbane couple and growing consumerism, the market has witnessed a sea change. People take pride in giving a trendy look to their homes by picking up the best home décor items. With growth in branded merchandise, this market is set to grown even bigger over the coming years.

In exports also, India is one of the key players in supply of home textiles after China. India has acquired considerable strengths in this sector over the past, one decade. With world-class infrastructure for weaving, processing,

embroidery, quilting, cutting, sewing and manufacture of wide width fabrics as well as fully finished made-up, Indian Home Textile products are gradually becoming synonymous with luxury, comfort, design innovations and high quality in all major international markets in the US, UK, Japan etc.

Along with the easy availability of raw materials, our industry also benefits from availability of low cost labour. Skilled manpower available at very low prices in turn reduces the cost of production.

Among competitors, China is losing advantage in textile because of rising power costs, labour costs and focus on domestic market. Other major exporting countries like Bangladesh are also facing geopolitical issues.

Another strength which Indian players enjoy over their competitors is the booming domestic market. This allows producers to mitigate risks and be competitive in the market.

Bullish about these growth prospects for Dicitex Furnishing, Rajjnish Aroraa, Vice Chairman of the company fields a few volleys from HTA Indoors.


All major retail outlets across in India.

Manufacturing infrastructure

Two vertically-integrated, manufacturing units in Tarapur and Thane.

What is your company’s strategy for growth in the coming five years?

To give the most desirable product at the most attractive prices to our customers.



ADVERTORIAL

“It’s important for the

government to identify

vendors and provide support

enabling them to establish

themselves as organised

players,”

- Sitaram Kumar,

Senior Vice President,

Home Centre

A veteran in the home furnishing market, who has deep experience of top retail brands such as Bombay Dyeing and Shopper’s Stop, Vikram Chitnis, is glad to notice that the Indian customer is becoming more discerning by the day.

Talking on phone with HTA Indoor magazine correspondent from Mumbai airport before take-off, Vikram Chitnis wants to make sure he’s quoted in his personal capacity and not as a spokesperson for his past or present employer.

Talking about the biggest change in the domestic industry for home furnishing retail, Chitnis is pleased to see the number of product innovations that have hit the market in recent years, such as anti-bacterial bed sheets; fire-resistant and black-out curtains; mattresses in all sizes; AC duvets.

Indian customers now expect more value from their bed linen

“There is a product to satisfy every customer need, and Indian consumers are now seeking more value from their purchase,” he says.

So while earlier the Indian customer was more price-seeker. Today she is more value-seeker also.

Asked which format is likely to grow faster, large or small, Sitaram Kumar, Senior Vice President of Home Centre, says, “Everyone will have the opportunity to grow in the market be it online-offline or large or small format stores, provided one understands consumer behaviour and creates a niche for themselves.”

The market, according to Chitnis is largely disorganised and fragmented – nearly 80% of it is crowded by Mom and Pop-kind of outfits. And it’s difficult for brands to match them on price, so brands are more focussed on quality and packing more value into that price package. Customisation is part of that trend.

“Since, the unorganised sector still dominates the home textile market, it’s important for the government to identify vendors and provide support enabling them to establish themselves as organised players,” says Kumar of Home Centre.

Traditionally, the fast moving home furnishings categories were bed and bath linen. These still continue to take the lead. “But lately, curtains as a category is seeing huge traction compared to bed and bath,” says Kumar.

The popularity of digital prints, according to Chitnis is a passing fad, even though presently it’s a very hot trend. “Down the line, customers are going to expect more functional features from their brands, rather than just aesthetics,” he explains.

As for the ideal store size for home furnishing outlet that are typically large-format, he says “While the smallest can be as small as 2000 sq. ft. in India, the larger ones are 10,000 sq. feet, which is ideal for displaying the full range, and

“Most innovations in bed

linen and other categories

are hygiene-related,”

- Vikram Chitnis

“With the boom in housing sector, and the ever increasing

millennial customer base with higher disposable incomes,

the category is seeing a growth of CAGR 25% (YoY) for the

past four consecutive years, says Sitaram Kumar, Senior

Vice President, Home Centre

leaves plenty of room for customers to roam around.”

The lease model is popular, along with the revenue-share model with the builders. “With the realty prices shooting through the roof owning a store, unnecessarily raises the cost and risk of the investment”, he says.

An average customer for the brands is 32 to 40 year old from Tier A and B markets. Tier C is not yet developed.

“In the coming years,” according to Kumar, “Retail space would become more competitive due to the entry of global players like IKEA. Additionally, it is important for retailers to start exploring Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to increase their foot print,” says Kumar.



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